The present invention relates in general to the field of pouch laminating. More particularly, the present invention relates to a laminating pouch structured to produce flexible magnets. Specifically, the present invention relates to a magnetic pouch comprised of an adhesive coated transparent sheet attached to an adhesive coated flexible magnet; the two structures are sealed along one common peripheral edge creating a pouch.
Pouch Laminators are common in the marketplace, they are built by many manufacturers and vary in design and cost. A pouch laminator is designed specifically to process laminating pouches. There are other types and methods of laminating. For example, roll laminating is the method of unwinding one or more substrates from rolled material and combining these substrates between pressured rolls, thus creating a single structure. Another example would be platen laminating. Platen laminating is the method of layering multiple pieces of a sheeted substrate, placing this layered stack of material in a platen laminator, applying heat and pressure for a period of time long enough to laminate all of the layers into a single structure.
Laminating pouches are common in the marketplace. Laminating pouches come in a variety of sizes, shapes and film thicknesses. The definitive design of a laminating pouch is comprised of two separate sheets of laminatable substrate bound together by a single seal transversing one peripheral edge. The substrates are most generally comprised of a transparent polyester film coated with an inner layer of thermoplastic adhesive resin activatable by heat and pressure. The primary function of a laminating pouch is to provide the user with a simple and economical way to protect documents or photographs from deterioration, it also works to enhance the astatic appearance of the piece being laminated.
Flexible magnets, also known as refrigerator magnets, are common in the industry and are manufactured in a variety of sizes, shapes & thicknesses. Flexible magnets are used in a wide variety of applications which would include advertising, educational material, car graphic signs, sports schedules and photography. In general, a flexible magnet is comprised of a printed image on the face of the magnet and the magnetic material on the reverse of the magnet. For a magnet to function as a magnet, it must have the ability to hold itself onto a metal surface unaided by any force other than the magnetized magnetic particles within the flexible magnetic material. In most instances, the machinery needed to produce quality flexible magnets is cost prohibitive to individuals, schools or small printing facilities. Persons in these and other fields have limited access to devices conductive to producing flexible magnets with decorative fronts of their choice. One device noted is composed of a sheeted piece of flexible magnetic material which has a coating of pressure sensitive adhesive layered on one of the flat sides of the magnetic sheet; this adhesive is protected, until the time of use, by a silicone coated release liner. At the time of use, the user peels off the silicone release liner, applies the decorative front or photograph, applies sufficient pressure and then trims the art out of the master sheet. Drawbacks related to this process include the time needed to produce multiple pieces and the lack of any protective covering on the face surface of the art. Other devices are available offering an economical way to produce flexible magnets. This would include small laminating machinery that has a removable cartridge which houses a roll of adhesive coated magnet material on the bottom and a roll of adhesive coated transparent film on the top. In this device, the decorative front is passed through the laminating device, the flexible magnet and film are unwound onto the art and the materials are laminated together in a set of pressurized nip rolls. One drawback with this device is that the user is limited to using a specific cartridge for a specific machine.
In view of the foregoing, it is the object of the present invention to provide a laminatable magnetic pouch allowing anyone owning one of the many types of pouch laminators in the marketplace with the ability to make flexible magnets. The object of the present invention allows for the insertion of a printed sheet or photograph between the layers of the magnetic pouch, the pouch is passed through a pouch laminator forming a single structure. This finished magnetic art is permanently laminated as a single structure, any attempt to remove the laminated sheet or photograph will cause permanent damage to the finished piece.